Sinkholes Expose Harrisburg's Fiscal Woes

Jan. 31, 2013 8:35 p.m. ET

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There are at least 40 sinkholes in Harrisburg, Pa. But the Pennsylvania capital, home to 50,000 people, can't afford to fix them all. Here, a view of St. Patrick's Cathedral, left, and the Pennsylvania state Capitol building.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

On New Year's Eve, a sinkhole, measuring 50 feet long and eight feet deep, swallowed up N. Fourth Street, severing water and gas service and forcing dozens of families to evacuate the city's poorest neighborhood.
Donald Gilliland/The Patriot-News…

A pedestrian walked on North Fourth Street on Jan. 18. In default on its general obligation bonds, and two years behind on its annual financial audits, Harrisburg is effectively shut out of the municipal debt market -- which cities and states rely on to finance major infrastructure improvements.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

Sherri Lewis, left, washed dishes with grandson Javiel Johnson, 2, at home on North Fourth Street. On New Year's Eve, Ms. Lewis was praying for a better year ahead when she heard a rumbling like an earthquake. She went to a shelter, but while she was away, her apartment was looted.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

Thomas White and goddaughter Miiangil Cotton, 8, watched from their doorstep as heavy equipment and a crew from Rogele Inc. worked on underground utility repairs at the site of the sinkhole on Jan. 18.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

Rogele worker Steve Pannebaker worked in a trench in North Fourth Street.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

Harrisburg is struggling to repair critical infrastructure like an outdated wastewater treatment plant that has been cited for dumping untreated water into a major tributary of Chesapeake Bay. 'We can't do anything right now because no one will lend to us,'' said William Cluck, shown, chairman of the Harrisburg Authority, the city agency overseeing the incinerator and water treatment plant.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

Shannon Williams, executive director of the Harrisburg Authority, stood on top of the main building of the wastewater treatment plant.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

As work crews flushed mud and sand out of the damaged pipes on North Fourth Street, city officials believe debris may have clogged filters at a collection point in the sewer system, causing 2,400 gallons of untreated water to overflow into the Susquehanna River, the largest source of fresh water to Chesapeake Bay.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

The Harrisburg Authority has a $54 million plan to curb such discharges, but not even the state will lend the agency money for the upgrades until the city completes its delinquent financial audits. Here, people walked on a path along the Susquehanna River.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…

A large steel plate, gravel fill and traffic cones marked the spot of the repaired sinkhole.
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal…